Benefits of Crying

For many years society has taught us to hold back the tears. It has been ingrained in us that somehow crying is a sign of weakness instead of a sign of strength. Personally, I feel great after a good cry. I never knew why until I decided to do some research and found out there are actually health benefits of having a good cry.

Judith Orloff, MD, author of New York Times bestseller Emotional Freedom, Liberate Yourself From Negative emotions and Transform Your life cited the following health benefits of crying in a Psychology Today article:

Release Stress Hormones

Crying releases stress hormones. Typically, after crying, your breathing and heart rate decrease and you enter into a calmer biological and emotional state.

Stimulates the Production of Endorphins

Emotional tears help shed toxins which accumulate during stress and stimulates the production of hormones, our body’s natural pain killer and “feel good” hormones. Crying makes us feel better even when the problem persists.

Heal the Heart

Science has also indicated that emotional tears can actually heal the heart. Crying is necessary to help us process grief and holding back the tears can lead to depression and anxiety.

So, despite popular opinion, crying doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human and it’s actually good to have a good cry as often as you need to. Go ahead – have a good cry!

Kela Price is the founder of Let's Get Mentally Fit and a wife and mother of 2. She is also a former marketing executive who became fascinated with psychology after battling postpartum depression. Currently, she is a graduate student pursuing a master's of science in psychology.